Convicted sex offender caught searching online for “young teens”, Leeds Crown Court hears

Under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) he was given in March for possessing indecent images of children, Leonard Michael Green must disclose to police every internet device he owns and produce them if requested.

The 61-year-old was paid a visit by the police protection unit at his Ambler Street home in Castleford on May 29, where they checked the internet history on his devices.

They found searches for “cute teens” and “young teens”, Leeds Crown Court was told.

They also found an unregistered laptop during a search of his home that when powered up, had no internet history.

Green told police that it belonged to his mother and had not been used since 2020. He said he forgot it was there, but admitted breaching his SHPO.

Mitigating, Satpal Roth-Sharma told the court that Green had not used the tablet, and said it was his first breach.

Deputy Circuit Judge Timothy Clayson took mercy on Green and handed him four months’ jail, but suspended it for 18 months, warning him that any future breaches will mean he goes to prison.

Green was convicted at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on March 25 on four counts.

They included possessing 184 Category A images – the most serious abuse – along with 47 in Category B, 811 Category C and an extreme pornographic image involving a person and a dog.

He was given a community order, 200 hours of unpaid work and the five-year SHPO.